LG V30 Stacked Against A $50,000 Cinema-Quality Video Camera

A YouTuber called Parker Walbeck has uploaded a video that pits the camera array found on the brand new LG V30 against a professional cinematic camera. According to Walbeck, the cinematic camera – specified to be a RED Weapon Camera – typically costs around $50,000. That may make the matchup seem decidedly unfair since the LG will only set a customer back by a fraction of that price. However, despite mentioning that no smartphone camera is likely to ever match professional cinematic equipment, Walbeck says the device includes several key features that actually give LG's latest flagship a fighting chance – as evidenced by the nearly nine-minute-long video, which has been included below. As to the video itself, there are several spots in the final side-by-side where the RED Weapon clearly outperforms the LG V30 in terms of image clarity. However, Walbeck says that many of the scenes shot in the comparison should be indiscernible for most viewers.

As to the features that set the LG V30 apart from its competition, Walbeck is impressed by the both the hardware and the software LG has created with its flagship. The device's dual camera setup, in combination with a wide aperture, provides users a way to easily capture the sweeping views often seen in movies. A 10-bit HDR sensor, in the meantime, allows for secondary software to be used without hassle when a user wants to achieve a more stylized Hollywood look. Meanwhile, the manual features of the camera already allow for plenty of adjustment not found elsewhere. That includes options for precision zooming – including on-screen zoom level indicators to show exactly where a shot is zoomed in at – and color controls not found in other smartphone cameras.

For the sake of clarity, Walback does admittedly use some tools of the trade to shoot his video footage, including drones, stabilizers, and a camera mount unit – which is used to ensure both the high-end cinema camera and the phone are shooting the same scene at the same time. Bearing that in mind, some of that equipment is relatively inexpensive, compared to the cost of the RED Weapon or the main camera mount used for the comparison. Moreover, users should be able to achieve similar results with that equipment and using some of the free video software mentioned in the video. Walbeck has also included plenty of information about the equipment and software used to recreate the scene in the video's description. So anybody interested using their own LG V30 to shoot some Cinema-ready clips will probably want to hit the source link below.